Riley Smith #71

Was born and raised in Lufkin, Texas, approximately 115 miles northeast of Houston...Lufkin is the site of the annual Texas State Forest Festival and Southern Hushpuppy Championships…the competition awards the world's best hushpuppy, a small, savory, deep-fried round ball made from cornmeal-based batter...He is a 2013 graduate of Hudson High School in Lufkin, where he went 19-4 with a 1.27 ERA and 172 strikeouts in 139.0 innings for the Panthers...Pitched 1 season at Louisiana State University (2016)...Helped lead the Tigers to a Super Regional berth where they were defeated by the eventual national champions, Coastal Carolina...Missed playing alongside Alex Bregman/HOU by 1 year and Aaron Nola/PHI by 2.

2019

Combined to go 6-6 with a 4.43 ERA (66 ER in 134.0 IP) and 110 strikeouts in 25 starts between Double-A Jackson and Triple-A Reno... Named a Southern League midseason All-Star…posted a 2.27 ERA (18 ER in 71.1 IP) in 13 starts (1 complete game) with Jackson... Garnered D-backs Organizational Pitcher of the Month honors in May after going 2-1 with a 0.53 ERA (2 ER in 33.2 IP), 0.98 WHIP and 24 strikeouts in 5 starts.